Adjustable spreader for looms



July 26, 1955 J, B. GOODGAME 2,713,875

ADJUSTABLE SPREADER FOR LOOMS Filed Dec. 19, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l J ESSE 5. 6000mm,

INVENTOR BY 5%,M

ATTORNEYS.

July 26, 1955 J. B. GOODGAME ADJUSTABLE SPREADER FOR LOOMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 19, 1952 J55 5 60000010, INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent ADFUSTABLE SPREADER FOR LOOMS Jesse it. Goodgame, Charlotte, N. C., assignor to Precision ear and Machine Company, Charlotte, N. C., a corporation of North Carolina Application December 19, 1952, Serial No. 326,951

4 Claims. (Cl. 139-1) This invention relates to looms for weaving fabric and, more especially, to an improved spreader or top girt which serves as a mounting for the crankshaft bearings of the loom and also serves to lend rigidity to the side frame members of the loom. Various types of loom spreaders or top girts have been provided heretofore whose distal ends have been secured to the proximal surfaces of the side frame members of a loom to lend rigidity to the loom and on which have been secured some of the bearings which rotatably support the crankshaft of the loom. Such spreaders have been employed in the building of new looms and have also been incorporated in certain looms which have been in use for some time prior to the girt or spreader being mounted between the side frame members thereof.

However, due to the fact that loom spreaders are necessarily large and cumbersome and, also, the distance between the side frame members varies in different looms, although they may be of the same type, it has been necessary to provide shims or other suitable spacers between the distal ends of the girts or spreaders heretofore in use and the proximal surfaces of the loom side frame members.

It is an object of this invention to provide a spreader of relatively light, but rugged construction, wherein means are provided to facilitate adjustment of the over-all length of the spreader whereby the spreader may be adjusted to a length somewhat less than the distance between the side frame members of a loom to facilitate ready insertion of the spreader between the side frame members and, then, the over-all length of the spreader may be increased so the distal ends of the spreader tightly engage the proximal surfaces of the side frame members thereby obviating the necessity of providing shims or other spacer means between one or the other or both ends of the spreader and the corresponding surfaces of the side frame members of the loom.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved spreader assembly for looms comprising a pair of spreader end members each having an opening therein through which the corresponding throw of the crankshaft may freely pass. Opposite ends of a spreader rod provided with threads of opposite pitch thereon are threadably embedded in the proximal portions of said spreader end members whereby rotation of said spreader rod in one direction will cause the spreader end members to move toward each other relative to the spreader rod and, upon turning the spreader rod'in the opposite direction, the spreader ends will be moved apart from each other so that they may fit tightly against the proximal surfaces of the side frame members of a loom thereby facilitating mass production of such spreader assemblies without the necessity of holding the over-all length of the spreader assemblies within relatively close tolerances.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing a'loom equipped with the improved spreader assembly or girt, with many of the usual parts of the loom omitted;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view through one end of the spreader assembly taken substantially along the line 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan view showing fragmentary portions of the loom and showing the improved spreader assembly mounted between the side frame members of the loom;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view through the same end of the spreader assembly as that shown in Figure 2, but looking in the opposite direction from that shown in Figure 2, substantially along the line 44 in Figure 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numerals 10 and 11 indicate the two side frame members of a loom which are usually secured together by bottom girts 12 and 13 (Figure 1). The loom has a warp beam 14 mounted on the rear portion thereof from whence warp yarns, not shown, are drawn to a suitable take-up mechanism a portion of which is shown in the form of a sand roll 15. The upper front ends of the side frame members 10 and 11 are suitably connected to opposite ends of a conventional breast beam 16. The loom also has a rocker shaft 17 oscillatably mounted in the side frame members 10 and 11 and to which the lower ends of a pair of swords 20 are suitably secured, only one of which is shown in Figures 1 and 3. The swords 20 support a lay 21 and a reed cap 22 on the upper ends thereof between which a suitable reed 23 is disposed. The loom also has a cam shaft 24 having pick cams 25 thereon, only one of which is shown, and each of which engages a suitable pick arm or pick ball 26 for operating the usual picker stick, not shown.

The sword 20 has the front ends of pitman arms 30 and 30' pivotally connected thereto which are mounted on crank throws 31 and 31' of a suitable crank shaft 32. Opposite ends of the crank shaft 32 are rotatably mounted in outboard bearing blocks 33 and 33' fixed on brackets 34 and 34' suitably secured to the outer surfaces of the respective side frame members 10 and 11. The crank shaft 32 is also rotatably supported in inboard bearing blocks 35 and 35 carried by the improved spreader assembly to be presently described.

It is preferable that the bearing blocks 33, 33', 3S and 35' are of the type provided with annular antifriction bearings and that the crank shaft is of the type disclosed in my copending application entitled Multisection Crankshaft for Looms, Serial No. 326,952, filed December 19,

1952, now abandoned. It is to be understood, however,

' that any type of bearings may be used and any conventional or other type of loom crankshaft may be used in association with the improved girt or spreader assembly to be presently described.

The parts of the loom heretofore described are conventional, and it is with these parts that the present ining them to become out of proper adjustment.

vention is adapted to be associated.

Heretofore, various types of top girts, bridging members or spreaders have been provided between the side frame members of the loom for rigidly supporting the conventional crankshaft to thereby restrain vibration of a major portion of the loom, which is caused by oscillation of the lay and various other moving parts of the loom, so that the loom may be operated at high speeds without damaging the moving parts of the loom or caus- However, as heretofore stated, it has been necessary, heretofore, to manufacture the girts undersize as to their 1 over-all length so they could be readily inserted between the side frame members of looms and, during the course of installation of the girt, it has been necessary to provide shims or other spacing means between the distal ends of the girts heretofore employed and the proximal surfaces of the side frame members to insure that the girts would fit tightly between the side frame members.

In order to obviate the necessity of providing shims or other spacing means between the ends of the girt or spreader and the side frame members, and to facilitate installation of the girt or spreader between said side frame members, I' have provided an improved spreader or top girt assembly comprising a parrot castspreader end members broadly designated at 40 and 40, respectively, which are threadably' connected, in a manner to be presently described, to opposite ends of' a spreader rod broadly designated at 41. spreader end 46 is identical to the right-hand spreader end 40, except being opposite hand, only the spreader end 40 will be' described in detail and like parts of the spreader end 46- will bear the same reference characters with the prime notation added.

Thespreaderend 40 is substantially Y-shaped' in plan and includes an inner fiat-topped hub'or body portion 42havingoutwardly diverging arms 4'3 and 44 integral therewith, which define an opening 45 th'erebetween' through which the corresponding crankarm 31 and the rear portion of the pitrnan arm 30"pass in the course'of each revolution of the crankshaft 32. It will be noted that the arm 43 is substantially straight and extends outwardly and rearwardly from the body portion 42 and'the' for securing the spreader end 40 to the inner surfa'ceof" the side'frame-member 10. It will be observed in Figures 2, 3 and 4 that the lower edges of the body portion 42 and the arms 43 and 44 have a web portion 52 projecting inwardly therefrom and partially closing the opening 45 to reinforce the arms 43 and 44.

Also, the body portion 42 of the spreader end 40 is preferably provided with a cavity 53 in the lower surface thereof to minimize the weight of'the spreader assembly and to provide clearance for the threaded ends of the spreader rod should the spreader ends 40 and 40 be closer to each other than shown in Figures 3 and 4. It will be noted that the body portions 42 and 42' of the respective spreader ends 40 and 40' extend inwardly beyond the crank throws 31 and 31' and the bearing blocks 35 and 35 are suitably secured to the upper surfaces'of said body portions 42 and 42, as by bolts 54 and 54.

The outer ends of the arms 43 and 43 of the respective spreader ends 40 and 40' have horizontal flanges 55 and 55 thereon to lend rigidity to the cars 46 and 46'. Bosses or thickened portions at the junctures of the respective flanges 55 and 55 with the arms 43 and 43 have respective vertically extending bores 57 and 57' therein in which the lower portions of inverted substantially L-shaped stop motion support brackets 60 and 60 may be suitably secured, as by screws 62 (Figure 4). The stop motion support brackets 60 and 69 are conventional and support the usual bars, not shown, on which'the' drop-wires, not shown, are mounted and, since the stop motion mechanism is well known to those familiar with the art, a further description and illustration thereof is deemed unnecessary.

Now, in order to support the proximal ends of the spreader end members 4'0 and 40, and to facilitate longitudinal adjustment of the spreader assembly, opposite ends of the spreader rod 41 are provided with left-hand and right-hand threaded portions 63 and 63', respectively,

Since the left-hand" which are threadably embedded in the proximal ends of the body portions 42 and 42 of the respective spreader end members 40 and 40. The spreader rod is preferably, but not necessarily, circular in cross-section and therefore, its medial portion is provided with coinciding flattened surfaces or wrench fiats 65 on opposite sides thereof astride which an open-end wrench may be positioned to facilitate rotating the shaft or spreader rod 41 to vary the over-all length of the spreader assembly.

In order to maintain the proximal ends of the spreader members 40 and 40' in proper position relative to the spreader rod 41, after they have been properly adjusted, suitable lock nuts 66 and 66' are threadably mounted on the respective threaded portions 63 and 63' of the spreader rod 41 and bear against the proximal ends of the spreader end members 40 and 40.

It is thus seen that I have provided an improved expansible and contractible spreader assembly, girt or bridging member, which is of light, durable construction, maybe readily adjusted as to its over-all length so as to facilitate loosely inserting the same' between the side frarn'e members' 10 and 11 and after which the over-all length'of the spreader assembly may be quickly increased byuotatihg theshaft' or spreader rod 41, to cause the distal ends" of the spreader assembly to tightly bear against the'proxir'nal surfaces of the side frame members 10and1=1.

Also, the body portions-'42 and 42 of the respective spreader end members 40 and 40 provide means for supporting inboard bearings inwardly of the crank throws 31" and 31 0f the crankshaft 30, thereby providing a rigidsupport for'the crankshaft and also preventing excessive vibration of the end frame members 10 and 11 and associated parts whilethe loom is operating.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms areemployed, they are used in a generic an'd'descrip'tive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation; the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I- claim:

1; In a loom having spaced side frames with crankshaft bearings mounted'thereon, a spreader girt assembly connecting the side frames comprising a pair of spaced spreader ends and a spreader rod, means for rigidly connecting' 'the spreader ends to the side frames, means for" mounting a bearing on each of the spreader ends in alinement with" the bearings on the side frames, the spreader rod havingoppositelyturned threads on oppositeends-thereof, and opposite'ends of the spreader rod being threadablyembedded in the proximal ends of the spaced spread'erend's whereby" upon turning the spreader rod relativeto the spreader ends, the over-all length of the spreader assembly may be varied without varying the alinement of the bearings.

2. 111 a loom' havinga'pair of side frame members, a cr'ankshaft'mounted at its ends for rotation in bearings on the-side frame members and having a crank throw at eaeh end lying inwardly from and adjacent said bearings, said loom'also havinginboard bearings disposed inwardly of the crank throws for rotatably supporting the crankshaft,--the combination of a spreader girt assembly comprisinga pair of spaced spreader end members and a spreader'rod, the spreader end members having body portions at theirproximal ends on which said inboard bearings may be adjustablymounted, a' pair of outwardly diverging arms integral with each of said body portions, said arms associated with each of said spreader end members defining an opening to receive the adjacent crank throw as it is moved during operation, means for rigidly connectingtthe free ends of the arms to the side frames thus permitting alinement of the bearings, the opposite ends: of the spreader rod being oppositely threaded and threadablyembedded in the proximal ends of the body portions of the spreader end members,

whereby the over-all length of the spreader girt assembly may be varied by turning the spreader rod without varying the alinement of the bearings.

3. A structure according to claim 2 wherein the spreader rod is provided with means intermediate its ends adapted to be engaged by a tool to facilitate turning the same.

4. A spreader girt assembly for a loom having side frames, a crankshaft provided with crank throws thereon adjacent the side frames and alined crankshaft bearings mounted one on each side frame; the spreader assembly including a spreader rod having oppositely threaded ends thereon, a pair of bifurcated spreader end members in which the threaded opposite ends of the spreader rod are threadably embedded, the distal bifurcated ends of the spreader end members being provided with means for rigidly securing the same to the side frames of the loom with the bifurcated portions of each of said spreader end members providing an opening through which the crank throws may pass during operation of the loom,

and the inner proximal portions of each spreader end member having a planar surface and means for mounting additional crankshaft bearings thereon in alinement with the bearings on the side frames of the loom whereby the length of the spreader girt assembly may be adjusted while the assembly is mounted between the loom side frames Without disturbing the alinement of the crankshaft bearings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 407,559 Wells July 23, 1889 988,109 Kaufmann Mar. 28, 1911 1,359,391 Landymore et al Nov. 16, 1920 2,351,513 Hunt June 13, 1944 2,499,050 Bahan Feb. 28, 1950 2,504,939 Tuten Apr. 18, 1950 2,618,295 Bahan Nov. 18, 1952 

